The Kansas City Chiefs are no strangers to adversity, but the conversation around their 2025 campaign has taken an unusually personal turn.
Following a disappointing Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski publicly questioned whether Travis Kelce can still be counted on as the all-purpose force who defined Kansas City’s offense for more than a decade.
Speaking on the Up & Adams Show, Gronkowski was blunt about what he sees as Kelce‘s new reality.
“Travis Kelce is going to be used in situational football,” Gronkowski said. “I don’t think that you can depend on him, first, second, third down, and every single play, but in situational football, he can come through for them.”
The remarks land at a sensitive moment for the Chiefs, who have relied on Kelce since his debut in 2013. His chemistry with Patrick Mahomes turned Kansas City into a perennial contender and delivered two Lombardi Trophies.
Yet at 35 years old, with 12 full seasons of punishing play behind him, the question is no longer about whether Kelce belongs among the greats, it’s whether he can still anchor an offense expected to chase another title.
Kelce‘s résumé is unmatched at his position. From 2016 to 2022, he recorded seven straight 1,000-yard seasons, a feat no other tight end has achieved.
But the past two years showed signs of decline. In 2023, he narrowly missed the 1,000-yard mark with 984 yards and five touchdowns.
In 2024, he dipped further, managing 823 yards on 97 receptions, averaging just 8.5 yards per catch, his lowest figure since his rookie season.
His 2025 opener in Brazil was symbolic of that shift. While he scored a touchdown, he finished with just two catches for 47 yards.
More concerning, his collision with rookie wideout Xavier Worthy left the promising first-rounder with a dislocated shoulder.
It was a moment that seemed to encapsulate Kansas City’s uneven start: one star struggling to stay dominant, another sidelined before his career could take off.
For Gronkowski, the solution isn’t hoping for a Kelce renaissance, it’s reimagining how the Chiefs move the ball.
He pointed to Hollywood Brown as the player Kansas City must depend on if they hope to avoid falling to 0-2.
“Hollywood Brown, that’s going to be the name that the Kansas City Chiefs will be dependent on going into Week 2 vs. the Philadelphia Eagles,” Gronkowski said. “This is your opportunity. Take advantage of it, Mr. Hollywood.”
Brown’s Week 1 usage backs up that view. He played more snaps than any skill-position player besides Mahomes, catching 10 passes for 99 yards despite missing the entire preseason.
While the timing wasn’t always sharp, his workload made clear that Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy see him as central to any resurgence.
Retirement talk grows louder
Beyond the immediate challenge of facing the Eagles, whispers about Kelce‘s future continue to swirl. Sources close to the tight end have suggested this could be his final season, regardless of how it ends.
The lure of television work, his close bond with brother Jason, who seamlessly transitioned to broadcasting and his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift, have all made life after football appear more inviting.
“This should be the end,” one source said earlier this year. “As Travis anticipates he will hang it up after this season, no matter how hard that decision will be, he has a lot to look forward to in TV and in life.”
Kelce himself has remained coy, emphasizing his commitment to the Chiefs but admitting that the grind of NFL seasons feels heavier than it once did. His renegotiated contract keeps him in Kansas City through the year, but whether he suits up again in 2026 remains uncertain.
A defining test at Arrowhead
The timing of this debate couldn’t be sharper. The Chiefs enter Week 2 underdogs for just the second time in the Patrick Mahomes era, facing the team that dismantled them in February’s Super Bowl.
Kansas City hasn’t started 0-2 since 2014, and doing so now would ignite doubts about whether their dynasty is on the verge of collapse.
For Kelce, the matchup represents more than just another game. It’s an opportunity to remind fans and critics alike that he can still tilt the field when it matters most.
If he delivers, talk of decline and retirement may quiet, for now. If he struggles, Gronkowski‘s words may start to feel less like blunt analysis and more like prophecy.
In a league that moves quickly from one star to the next, the Chiefs‘ fate in 2025 may hinge on whether Travis Kelce has one last run left in him or if Kansas City must finally learn to live without its heartbeat.
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